The present application is the national stage under 35 U.S.C. 371 of PCT/FR99/00765, filed Apr. 1, 1999.
The present invention relates to the field of Waste Recuperating Household Electrical Appliances, comprising particularly a filtration device.
One frequently finds, in numerous household appliances of the electric vacuum cleaner type, a filtration means constituted by a bag made of a material which is or is not woven, having a filtration quality suitable for retaining the majority of dirt that is suctioned. There exist numerous disposable bags provided with devices for closing the dust bag before it is thrown into the trash, as illustrated, for example, by the document FR 2 713 076. However, regular replacement of the bag involves a cost that is not negligible as regards consumable products, which is not well understood by most users, who experience, moreover, difficulties in correctly identifying the bag corresponding to their vacuum cleaner from among the multitude of bags available. It thus appears desirable to be able to have a reusable bag. However, one of the major problems of these bags, which are called xe2x80x9cpermanentxe2x80x9d, resides in the necessity to empty them when they are full. This operation is often a nuisance because of the very form of the bag which requires a substantial introduction into the atmosphere of dirt which has initially been retained in the bag, particularly the finest dust particles.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,541 discloses a suctioning feather duster having a suction motor equipped with batteries, an upstream air inlet as well as a downstream dust reservoir, situated at the end of the path of the suction air. This cylindrical reservoir is situated in the handle of the feather duster, which has openings intended to expel the suction air. This air is preliminarily freed of dust and detritus with the aid of a filtering tube housed in the handle. A trap situated at the extremity of the handle permits the dust contained in the receptacle to be easily emptied, while offering even the possibility of easily removing the filter in order to clean it or to replace it.
However, a major drawback of this device is its positioning, downstream of the motor/turbine group. In effect, situated behind the motor, the dirt passes through the motor zone before being filtered, and can thus potentially damage the motor on this occasion. Of course, in this particular case, the suction dirt is fine dust. This device can thus not be adapted to a vacuum cleaner for the usual larger dirt particles.
One of the objects of the present invention is thus to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art by presenting a waste recuperating appliance of any type, such as a vacuum cleaner, the filtration device of which, constituting a dirt receptacle, can be emptied and/or exchanged easily, all while offering the possibility of constituting a permanent filter for the vacuum cleaning appliance.
Another object of the invention is to present a vacuum cleaner the filtration and dirt retention means of which is, in addition, of simple construction.
Another object of the invention aims to improve waste recuperating appliances of any type which are constituted only of a filter and a non-filtering dirt receptacle, being able to be emptied by a trap door.
The present invention is achieved with the aid of a waste recuperating electrical appliance, having a suction device composed particularly of a motor and a suction turbine, a suction mouthpiece, a tubular filter constituting a dirt receptacle, said appliance having a housing arranged between the suction mouthpiece and the suction turbine with which it is in communication at one side and the other by conduits and in that the tubular filter is arranged in the housing in such a manner that one of its end orifices is blocked and the orifice at the opposite extremity is directly connected to the conduit of the suction nozzle.
This arrangement permits dirt to not pass through the zone having the motor, all while offering a compartment for the dirt which is able to be emptied easily and the filter of which is easily removed for cleaning and replacement.
One of the principal characteristics of the dirt compartment is to dispose of means for maintaining a filter separated from the interior wall of the housing of said filter, in order to provide a free suction volume around the periphery of the filter. It is in effect important that the filter volume is not restricted to a planar filter, while taking advantage of all the peripheral filtration surface. This arrangement permits the volume of the suction conduit to be increased around the periphery of the filter, in the direction of the suction turbine.
In a first embodiment of the invention, the spacing means are fixed to the filter housing. They then form a guiding means for the installation of the filter. Moreover, this configuration permits an improvement in the material at the level of the filtering element, thus reducing its resale price.
According to a second embodiment of the invention, the spacing means are fixed to the filter. This offers the possibility of providing an internal wall of the housing which is smooth, thus easier to clean.
According to one of the preceding configurations, advantageously, the filter is provided with a pneumatic sealing joint, at least at one of its ends. In order to avoid possible leakage of dust or dirt in the compartment of the filter or to the exterior of the appliance, a first possibility consists in that the conduit coming from the suction nozzle has an external diameter substantially identical to the internal diameter of the tubular filter in such a manner as to be insertable with a light friction contact. However, for considerations of long term reliability, it has been found preferable to provide a sealing joint.
According to a particular configuration of the invention, the filter is provided with a rigid zone which is impermeable to air at each end. This configuration permits a better mechanical gripping of the filter as well as a sure and reproducible positioning in its housing, all while aiding the sealing of the device.
Advantageously, the filter has a rigid structure along its length. This arrangement is all the more advantageous if the filtering material is flexible, the rigid structure permitting a mechanical holding of the filter compatible with its placement in a confined housing.
According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the housing of the filter comprises a trap door capable of being opened towards the outside of the appliance and which, in the closed position, comes to block the orifice end of the tubular filter opposed to that in communication with the suction nozzle. By this configuration, instead of having to inconveniently disconnect the conduit of the suction nozzle at the level of the filter in order to empty the latter, it suffices to manipulate a simple trap door from the side opposite to the suction.
According to a particular configuration of the invention, the filter has a shutter situated close to its orifice connected to the suction nozzle and able to be retracted upon encountering an exterior object and returning to its initial blocking position when the interaction with the exterior object ceases. This arrangement is particularly desirable when the suction mouthpiece can be withdrawn from the waste recuperating compartment. It is in effect important, in the case under consideration, that this air inlet opening of the filtering tube be blocked in order to prevent an eventual escape of the dirt recovered through this opening. The shutter can be simply articulated and retracted when the motor is placed in operation, by the low pressure created, returning to its initial blocking position upon stoppage of the motor.
According to an advantageous arrangement of the invention, a sealing joint is disposed at the rear of the filter, said joint having a groove capable of cooperating, in view of its positioning and its maintenance, with at least one positioning bulge arranged in the interior part of the housing. Thus, the user is assured that the filter is correctly installed in its housing, which prevents the filter from being compressed too much against the air inlet face, while exerting, however, a slight pressure on its inlet face, which permits a reduction in the leakage of air at this level. The seal, at the level of the air inlet, can be assured by a joint which is fixed either to the filter or the filter compartment.